Never Give Up
by Namibean
Summary: What if Sanji gave up on Nami? Chapter 5 now up!
1. Bitter Tea

_One Piece and its characters are the creation of Oda Eiichiro. I don't own or have rights to them in anyway, shape, or form. Thank you!_

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Chapter 1

Night hid his appearance, but she could tell he was in her room. She lay in bed, her stomach turning with anticipation. He had come to her again, just like every night for the past 3 months. If only she could shout how she felt to the world, but he made her promise not to tell anyone. Besides, wasn't it that much more exciting because it was their secret?

She felt the covers shift. She couldn't see him, but he was there with her. A rough hand gingerly touched her thigh.

Knock, knock… 

She felt his mouth cover hers in a passionate kiss. He was hungry for her.

Knock, knock… 

Her body complied, arching into his touch.

_Knock, knock…_ "Nami-san?"

Nami lay on the couch in her den, immersed in the new trashy romance novel she had bought in the last town they stopped in. Eyes glued to the pages, her mind lingered on every word. Her mouth was half agape in awe. The book captivated her attention so well; she hadn't even heard Sanji knocking on the door…

Knock, knock… 

… until now.

"Nami!" Sanji yelled through the door, "are you ok?"

Startled, Nami sat up. "Uh… _hai_," she frantically looked for a place to hide her novel. The crew wouldn't let her live it down if they found out.

"It's a little after 3:00," Sanji called from outside. "I thought I would bring you some afternoon tea."

"Oh…ok," Nami called back, trying to buy time. She quickly threw the book under the couch as Sanji made his way in.

The cook turned to face her. She was hunched over the maps spread out on the coffee table in front her. Sanji smiled, "you look busy, as usual." Nami glanced up, returning his smile. Then went back to her maps. Did she even notice that he wasn't prancing around her today? He placed her cup on the table, off to the side so it wouldn't be in her way.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun," Nami cooed, almost out of habit, never taking her eyes off the maps. Sanji paused a moment, watching her do her work. A tiny frown formed at the corner of his lips. _It has to be done._

He cleared his throat, watching to see if Nami noticed he was still there. The navigator's expression was unchanging. She was lost in her work. He cleared his throat again. "_Ano na…_ Nami?"

"Sanji-kun?" Nami responded mockingly, without a thought. Why was he still there? She wanted to get back to her novel.

"I just wanted to let you know this is the last time."

Nami's eyebrows came together in confusion. "Huh?" She looked up to the tall, blond man standing across from her. "Last time? Last time for what?" She questioned, finally taking notice of the sadness in his eyes. Was that a frown on his lips? Had she ever seen him frown before?

Instead of giving an answer, the cook took out his lighter and a pack of cigarettes. Nami watched as he pulled one out with his lips. Now she was really confused. "Um… Sanji, you know you're **not** smoking that in here." The look he shot her from over his hand as he lit up was enough to say different.

Once his cigarette was lit, Sanji shifted to one side. He was seemingly lost in thought. Nami watched him, annoyed with his behavior. He took a long drag. "As I was saying," he exhaled, "this is the last time."

"Yeah, you said that already," Nami folded her arms. _Who the hell does he think he is?_

Ignoring her, Sanji took another drag. "Ever since I came on this ship, I've been waiting on you hand and foot." He stared ahead, not really looking at anything. "I go out of my way every day to try to please you. I put myself at your mercy by honestly professing my feelings for you." He took the cigarette out of his mouth, flicking ashes into a nearby flowerpot.

Nami was now pissed off. She opened her mouth to lecture him, but Sanji continued. "I used to tell myself that as long as you were happy, nothing else mattered." Now he looked her in the eyes. "But that's not enough anymore." Nami's mood dwarfed when she saw his expression. Was it anger or sadness? "Maybe I feel like I now have a right to be greedy after catering to you for so long." He closed his eyes and shrugged, "I don't know."

The navigator stared at her crewmate. She had seen him like this before. He was cool, distant, and a little smug. This was how he treated strangers… Not her.

Sanji approached Nami, looking down at her as she sat on the couch. "Believe me when I say I want you more than anything in this world." One of his hands gently touched her cheek. "But I'm done chasing you Nami." The pain in Sanji's voice was unbearable. His fingers ran through the ends of her short, red hair. "No more favors or gifts." He tilted her chin up to him. "You're no different from anyone else now."

Nami blinked, coming out of shock as Sanji headed towards the door. "Oh! Don't forget to put the cup in the sink when you're done," he added as he opened the door. Nami's jaw dropped open. _How dare he…_

"_Jaa…_" He threw a wave over his shoulder and left.

"Hey!" Nami yelled, but the door closed. She was now alone.

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Chapter 1 – Japanese notes 

"_Nami-san, Sanji-kun"_ – Most of you know this, but just incase: _"San"_ is the equivalent of Mr. or Mrs. in Japanese. _"Kun"_ means Mr. but it's usually used for those who are the same age or younger than you.

"_Ano na"_ – _"Ano"_ is like "uh" or "um" in Japanese. The _"na"_ is added since Sanji is a guy.

"_Jaa"_ – This is short for _"jaa matta"_ which means "see you later" in Japanese.


	2. Cold Dish

_I have the feeling that some of you are going to say that Sanji isn't in character in this story, but please take it from the story's pov. This is a man who is fed up with waiting for a woman. I apologize if you don't like it though._

_Please see summary and disclaimer in the first chapter. Thanks!_

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Chapter 2

That night's dinner was the worst Nami had ever had on the Going Merry. It wasn't necessarily the food that was bad. For the first time since Sanji joined the crew, she had to get her own plate. What was worse was that she sat at the table for 20 minutes before asking Sanji where her plate was. "On the counter," he said as he was pouring wine for Robin. He didn't even look at her when answering her question. No one had said anything to her.

Now that her cold dinner was finished, she wanted to get back to her den where things would be normal. Nami was exiting the dining room with the rest of the crew when Sanji called to them. "Oi!" He shouted. One of his eyebrows twitched with fury. "Which one of you morons forgot your dishes on the table!"

His crewmates looked at each other in confusion. Nami stepped forward with her hand raised. "I did," she spoke flatly, staring the cook in the eye.

"Well what are you waiting for?" He continued, his voice unwavering. "Clean up your mess!" The crew's jaws dropped as they stood in the doorway.

"Did he just tell Nami to pick up her dishes? Nami never picks up her dishes," Luffy whispered.

"I wonder what she did to make him that mad?" Usopp added.

"Stupid cook," Zoro grumbled, folding his arms.

"Poor Nami," Chopper commented, sadly. Robin nodded in agreement, looking on.

"And whose turn is it to do the dishes?" Sanji began to wipe down the table as Nami brought her plate to the sink.

Zoro looked at the schedule on the wall near the door. His voice caught in his throat. "Na… Nami," he sputtered out. _Clink!_ Everyone jumped at the sound of dishes falling. Nami's back was to the crew as she hunched over the sink. Her frame shook with anger.

"Ok, ok," Sanji shooed the rest of the crew out of the room. "There's no show to see here." Nami's hands clenched into fists in frustration. She almost cried in shame… almost.


	3. Chores

_Please read summary and disclaimer in the first chapter. Thank you!_

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Chapter 3

A few minutes later, Nami stood at the sink. The sleeves on her shirt were rolled up to the elbow and her forearms immersed in dishwater. She muttered curses under her breath. _Why?_ It's not like this was the first time in her life that she had to do dishes. So why was she angry? "Why?" She asked herself out loud.

"Huh?" Sanji turned to look at the navigator. His shirt was untucked and sleeves rolled up while drying utensils with a towel. "Did you say something?"

Nami sighed, rinsing out a cup. "Are there any other chores you want to tell me about?"

The cook just laughed at her. It was a dark laugh from someone getting their revenge. "I guess you'll find out, won't you." He turned to put a knife away in its drawer.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, annoyed with his smugness.

"I told you Nami," he responded with his back to her, "I'm done chasing you." Nami rolled her eyes, even more annoyed with his ambiguous answer. _What does he mean, "done chasing" me?_ "There **is** something you can do though," she heard him add after a moment.

Suddenly he came up behind her. The navigator's body froze in surprise. Sanji slid his open palms down her arms. When he reached her hands, his fingers intertwined with hers, taking the cup she was rinsing. Nami breathed deeper as his body pressed up behind her own. She tried blinking to restore her thoughts, but she was lost in his overwhelming presence. Every small movement of Sanji's body set off another trigger of arousal. The press of his hands over hers as the water ran off of them. The way his body seemed to fit around hers like an embrace. The friction of his pelvis against her as he shifted his weight.

Nami was losing control. Her head leaned to one side as Sanji whispered in her ear. His voice was deep and low. "What's wrong Nami?" He breathed on her ear, causing her to shiver. She let out a sigh as he grazed his lips against her exposed neck. "Is there something you want?" He laughed his dark laugh again and Nami snapped out of his spell. Turning around, she slapped the cook in the face with a wet hand.

Sanji rubbed his jaw and pulled out his cigarettes. "All you have to do is say you love me," he lit one up, "and mean it." Nami stared at him in anger and confusion. He took a drag. "As I said earlier, I've been waiting on you hand and foot," he exhaled. The smoke disappeared in front of his blue eyes. "I wonder how you really feel about me."

"What do you mean?" Nami interrupted, unsure of what Sanji was getting at.

"If you don't love me, then let me know so I can finally get over you and move on," he stated. "I don't want to waste anymore of my time on something that will never be." He pushed his sleeves down and headed for the door. "I think even you can respect that." He opened the door, "let me know when you have an answer." After that, he left. Nami sighed, leaning against the sink. _What's he doing to me?_


	4. Apple Pie

Chapter 4

A Tropical Island… How the Straw Hat Pirates ever found this place baffled Sanji beyond comprehension. Nami-san had led them there, of course. She **is** the navigator. The island's beauty had left the cook speechless. It looked deserted, but Robin-chan had read of some legend of a priceless emerald that some dead pirate had buried… or something like that. None of that mattered to Sanji right now, though. All that mattered was the water fight going on between his two female crewmates. A smile spread around his cigarette.

He stood nearby, watching the girls giggle and splash water at each other. Their bikinis looked a little small for their bodies, but they didn't seem to mind. So neither did he. They both spotted the cook and giggled again like schoolgirls. Robin smiled and splashed water in his direction. "Come join us, cook-san." Why didn't she sound like herself? _She's just happy_, Sanji told himself.

Then Nami trotted over to him, bouncing and threatening to pop out of her skimpy top. She came up to him, water glistening off her body. Her smile could melt even that dumb swordsman's heart. "Sanji, come join us," she panted. Her cheeks were flushed from her little run.

Sanji hooked a finger up under the string of her bikini that ran under her cleavage. His smile grew, "why aren't you naked yet?" Nami just giggled at him. He pulled her closer to him, wanting to kiss her.

Suddenly, the navigator put both her hands on his face. "Sanji-kun," she seemed to be calling to him. "Sanji-kun." Why was she calling to him when he was right in front of her? "Sanji-kun."

"Heheheh," the cook laughed at her. "No, no, no…" He put his hand to her lips, "just call me Sanji, sweetie." He took his hand away, but Nami just went on as before.

"Sanji-kun. Sanji-kun."

Sanji frowned. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?" The world started fading into darkness, as if night suddenly came. First the Going Merry disappeared along with the scenery. Next was Robin-chan, who pouted as she waved goodbye. Finally was Nami-san, who kept repeating his name.

"Sanji-kun. Sanji-kun."

Sanji took a strange, deep breath, like he had come to the surface after being underwater. "Sanji-kun," he still heard his name being called. Clearing his throat, he raised his heavy eyelids. The room was dark, but he could feel the soft hands on both sides of his face. "Sanji-kun," the voice repeated, the hands shaking his head. He groaned, annoyed.

In the little beams of moonlight that drifted into the room, the cook could make out the shadow of a person leaning over him. His eyes adjusted to find a halo of orange-red hair. "Nami-san?" His voice came out low and hoarse. He saw she was in her pajama pants and tank top. Her breasts were pressed against his chest as she rested above him. _God, I need a cigarette._ "What time is it?" he asked.

"Shh!" Her fingers covered his mouth. "Quiet," she whispered, "I don't want to wake anyone up." She withdrew her hand slowly.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered from underneath her, "is something wrong?"

"No," she responded. "I… I just needed… to talk to you." She sounded a little unsure of herself. She felt the cook's hands come to rest on her hips. "What are you doing?" Her body stiffened in response to his touch.

Sanji let out a childish moan, ignoring her last question. "Can't it wait till morning?" Nami sighed, pushing herself up on her hands. She sat on the side of his bunk while leaning over him. _I hope Zoro doesn't wake up._ She looked up to the bed over their heads, wondering if the swordsman could hear them.

"It's about what you said last week," Nami explained in reference to their interaction in the kitchen. Sanji stared at her blankly, unsure of what she was talking about. "You know," she attempted to make herself clearer, "the **dishes**…"

"Um…" his eyes darted upwards, searching for an answer, "the dishes…" His hands worked in a circular motion on Nami's hips, as he was lost in thought. The navigator fumed.

"What you said last week when we were doing dishes!" She hissed at him, knocking him over the head with her fist, "and get your damn hands off me!" She sat up and rubbed her forehead in frustration, "don't tell me you forgot already."

Sanji cleared his throat again, shaking off the blow to his head. "Oh yeah," he spoke sarcastically, "I wondered why I had so much free time lately." The truth was that he had been waiting every day for the past week in agony. There were times that he wanted to tell Nami to forget the whole thing and bring her an apple pie to say sorry. Then he would stop to reassure himself to be strong. Besides, he wasn't the one who had to apologize. He wasn't doing anything wrong, no matter how many apple pies he wanted to bake for her.

Nami cut off his thoughts, "just come talk with me?" She felt tired, too, but this was bothering her to no end. "Please," she added, the moonlight glinting in her eyes as she looked at him.

_She's so beautiful… Damn it! I need a cigarette._ Sanji rubbed his eyes. "Ok," he sighed, "let me put some clothes on and get a cigarette and then…" He trailed off at the expression of shock on Nami's face. "What?"

"Are you…" Nami let out a little cough, ashamed of her perverted thoughts.

"Am I what?" he questioned.

"**You know!**" She continued, annoyed with his prying, "are you naked under there?" Her face turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Hhn, grr…merr…" They both heard Zoro mumbling above them. Nami pressed herself into Sanji. She figured if anyone **did** wake up, her best bet was to hide in his bed.

Sanji grinned wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know," he breathed his answer in Nami's ear, taking advantage of their closeness. She blinked, and then came to her senses.

"Stop that!" She smacked the cook in the head again. _He's such a pervert! Why am I enjoying this?_ After Zoro's mumbling subsided, the navigator sat up again. "I'll be waiting in the den," she instructed while adjusting her tank top. "Please come talk with me."

"Ok," Sanji gave a simple answer. He watched her silhouette as she crept out of the room. He took a deep breath, trying to wake up, but Nami's scent still lingered around his bed. A long, deep growl escaped his throat as he fought his ever-growing arousal. _Damn, I really need that cigarette._

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_I know some of you have been waiting for this chapter, so Omatase shimashita (sorry to have kept you waiting). I really appreciate the reviews I received. I respect all of your opinions, be it good or bad. Even if you don't agree with the story, I still hope you're finding it entertaining. The next chapter should be the last one, but I'm not sure. We'll see. On a final note, I have a theory about Sanji's chain-smoking. If you notice the situations where he mentions needing a cigarette in this chapter, you'll be able to pick out my theory pretty easily. Thanks for reading!_


	5. Cigarettes

_Here's Chapter 5. Please read summary and disclaimer in the first chapter. Thank you!

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Chapter 5  _

The night was clear with a warm breeze coming off the water. Despite it being dark in the men's cabin earlier, the moon was bright as it illuminated the upper deck. It lit up part of the den as well, but Nami had a candle burning regardless. She lay on the couch, watching the flame dance and flicker. Her eyelids felt heavy, but she had to wait for Sanji. It would be bad if she woke him up in the middle of the night for nothing. "Where are you?" she whispered, half-asleep.

The cook strode out of the kitchen and across the deck. The teacup in his hands left a small trail of steam as he walked. He knew it took a while to make the tea, but he needed that cigarette. Besides, he was sure Nami would not only appreciate the tea, but she would also appreciate that he didn't smoke in her room anymore. Sanji's heart skipped a little, remembering Nami's words from earlier. She wanted to talk to him about what he said last week. Did that mean she was going to confess that she loved him?

Sanji stopped in mid-step. _What the hell am I doing?_ The cook looked at his reflection in the tea. "I'm bringing her tea?" he asked himself in disbelief. Was he catering to her again? How could he have caved so easily? What if she wasn't going to say what he was hoping for? Then he would look like a fool again, like he had since the day he laid eyes on the red head.

The teacup rattled in its saucer while it was balanced on the cook's knee. Sanji lit a cigarette, frowning a little. _What to do…_ Torn between his feelings for Nami and not wanting to give in to her, he decided on a compromise. _I'll bring her the damn tea and smoke my damn cigarette in her room._ He quickly paced towards the navigator's den.

Nami stirred a little as she heard the door open. Slowly raising her eyelids, she was met with a cup of tea being roughly placed on the table in front of her. _Tea?_ The navigator's brown eyes glanced over to find Sanji sitting in the chair next to the couch, one of his feet resting on the table. She sighed a little with disappointment when she realized that he was smoking in her den, again. Letting out a small cough, she broke the silence, "what took you so long?" Her voice was little hoarse from her small nap and she was sure the smoke wasn't helping.

"Thought you might like some tea," the blond cook responded, taking a long drag of his cigarette. _Why does her voice have to sound like that at a time like this?_ He watched the navigator stretch and lean against the arm of the couch as she sat up.

"Thank you," Nami replied. She picked up the cup in one hand and took the saucer in the other. "I appreciate it," she spoke in a soft, low voice as she looked directly at the cook. She brought the cup to her lips and sipped, never taking her eyes off of him.

_Damn it! _Sanji quickly looked away, inhaling smoke from his cigarette. It took everything he had in his will power not to jump her when he woke up to find her sitting on his bed, but this was too much. Had it been a week before he probably would've had a nosebleed by now, but he needed to be strong. He took another drag. "So," he exhaled, "you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Nami let out a nervous sigh. _He isn't going to make this easy, is he?_ "I just… uh…" She cleared her throat, "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you always did for me." Sanji looked at the navigator questioningly. She continued, "even if I didn't know that it occurred, I appreciate all of it." Pausing, Nami bit her lip, "but I don't want you to worry about doing anything for me anymore."

"What?" Sanji asked in disbelief.

"I don't want you to wait on me anymore," Nami clarified. She shifted uneasily on the couch.

"So," Sanji sat forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, "you're saying that you don't love me?" Nami was startled at his reaction. What did this have to do with love?

"I… uh… no," she stumbled. She could feel her stomach turning in knots. This was one situation she was not used to. The navigator took a deep breath. "All I'm saying is that I don't want you to worry about catering to me anymore."

The cook's head was spinning. _What's she trying to say?_ Wasn't this what he wanted to find out? _What's she trying to say to me?_ Wasn't this why he decided to give up? "Nami-san… You don't love me?"

"This isn't about that!" Nami responded, attempting to make it clearer. Sanji wouldn't accept it. "I'm just trying to say…"

"Damn it, Nami!" The cook interrupted her, "answer my question! Do you love me or not?"

"I don't know!" Nami yelled back with tears in her eyes, but she refused to cry. She didn't want to hurt Sanji, but she wasn't going to lie to him to save him from pain, even if his expression was unbearably sad. The navigator let out another sigh to calm her emotions. "I don't know. That's the truth," she spoke more softly.

"How can you **not** know?" Sanji questioned the navigator. The frustration and rejection were getting to him. The cook got up from his seat and headed towards the door. "I'm sick of this," he sighed as he reached for the door handle to leave.

"NO!" Nami shoved herself into the small space between Sanji and his exit. She pushed the door closed and spun to face the tall blond man.

The cook flinched at the navigator's sudden action. He was even more shocked by the anger in her expression. "What the hell are you doing?" He sputtered out, shaken from the surprise. His hand still posed on the door handle.

"Damn it, Sanji-kun!" Nami raised her voice in anger, but wasn't quite yelling at him. "Not everyone knows how they feel about someone! Not all of us can wear out hearts on our sleeves! Not all of us are as brave as you!"

Sanji stared at the red haired woman. "What?" he asked slowly.

Nami continued, "I don't know if I love you or not, but I **do** have feelings for you. I know that I care about you as much as everyone else on this ship… if not more. I know that every time you brought me tea in the afternoons, it helped me feel a little less lonely. I know that I enjoyed your company when you were your usual cheery self. I know that I don't like seeing you in the mood you've been in for the past week. And maybe if you weren't so pushy, then something would develop between the two of us."

"Nami-san…" Sanji managed, attempting to absorb what the navigator was saying. Everything he seemed unsure of was finally coming to light in the moment. "I…"

"I hate the person you've been this week," she interrupted him as she folded her arms. "You've been so cruel and uncaring. I miss the old Sanji-kun."

The cook smiled. _So she really **does** care._ He leaned in a little towards Nami, speaking in a low, playful voice, "how do know this isn't how I've always been? Maybe I was just trying to impress you by being nice?"

"Ha!" Nami laughed at him. "That can't be right."

Sanji frowned a little, "why not? I can't be the mean bad-ass?"

"No, because the badass is a **dumb **ass… and that's Zoro," she responded with a smile. Sanji let out a small laugh. "Besides," Nami grabbed the cook by the collar and pulled him closer. "I like nice guys," she whispered as her lips brushed against his.

It was the last straw for Sanji. Unable to holdback any longer, he pressed Nami into the door and kissed her like he had always wanted to since joining the Straw hat crew. The strange thing was that she wasn't resisting it either. He pulled out of the kiss for a second. "Is this another dream?" he panted.

"If it is, then I don't want to wake up, yet," Nami breathlessly replied as she pulled him back towards her.

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_I know, I know… I'm evil for ending it there. I have a dilemma though! I don't know if this is the end of the story or not. Some might be satisfied with this as the ending and some of you might feel it ended too abruptly. So please let me know what you think and we'll see if I continue it or not. Thanks! _


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